Davit



June 21, 1949. WQODRUFF 2,473,557

DAVIT Filed April 28, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet l Moa 9a22 Z.%ode ajf,

June 21, 1949. M. L. WOODRUFF DAVIT 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 28, 1947 June 21, 1949. M. L. WOODRUFF 2,473,557

DAVIT Filed April 28, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Int/982302 Moagganl. Wbodauqfj,

Patented June 21, 1949 ATEN T .101 F I CE DAVIT Morgan Liwoodruff Waban; Mass.

Application April 28, 1947, Serial 'No."744,485

-%8 Glaims. 1

This "invention relates-to" davits *Ior landing "and "launching" boats I and ithas for "its ohject to *provide an imp-roved' -davit" of simpie inexpensive and effi'cient' construe'tion by lmeans ofwhich a ==boat*n1ay be transferred with ease and dispatch "from the water'to aiargervessei or other sup- 'port and held securely in position upon the lat "ter while not/ in use;--a'1id by' means of-which the =boat can; with "ease and dispatch; be returned to 'the water.

-It "is also thexobj-eot er the invention to provide a' davit by means of which a boat may ube transferred-my a rolling mo'tion:thereof from a i -ight sideup"position in the 'weter" xto-ianup- -side-'down' pesition upon a larger vessei orother support; and by means of which the boatmay be transferred by a reverse rolling motion thereof fromiam up side down -position zup'on the" vessel or other support to a;mighteside uppositionmoon the water.

To these ends I 'l-hHVEK'DI'OVidEdT aniimproved davit apparatus I fors attachment to a "vessel: or other support and which, inwthe. preferred embodiment 'rofl the invention} may be i constructed and operate as :set forth in i the 1 fo1i'owing '1de- 'scription, themseverai'novel =features rifixthe' in- VB-1113101): beingv particularly pointed outz. and defined in the cleims at the close of the description.

1 In the accompanying drawings 1- Figure 1 is an aside: .ielevation :of Ethe stem: end of a relativelyrlarge'vesselxequipped with aidavit apparatus constructed in accordance :with""this invention and showingxa, relatively: small tender Ordinghy right-.side-up Iupon sthe'waten adjacent thereto,

'Figure Z isxa view like Figure lt but showing the small iooat 'fdlly raised out of-the Water and supported iiori'zontaHy by: the "davit apparatus in: an up-side-d'o'wn 1 position 1 where iit issecurely iixed as will appear ia-ter.

' Figures 3-and' 4:.are detailsz illustrating the operationof 'the davit apparatus.

.Figure' fi is a plan'vi'ewof thepairtsshown in Figure; 2.

liiguredis a rear elevation of the parts shown in Figure 1' but= with thesmaller -boat or terider and the operatingwame re-moved.

"Figure Gb'shows :the' elements of' "60 as viewed in the"dire'ction oi the arrow ('Fig." 6c),

'Figurefi'c shows the" deck cleat and a portionbf the gunw'a-le ofthe small boat'or tender as viewed from 1 within the larger vessel.

Figure W'shows, partly in e1evatiom and-@partly .2 insection;the-cross-bar portion of the bailshaped lever hereinafter described.

Figure 8 is a rear elevation, partly in section, 'oi" a por'tion" of'one" of the legs or tines of-the brin-shaped iever andits supporting fork.

i Figuretais a-section on'iine Set-8010f Fig. 8.

"Figure Q-isa section online 9- 9-ofFigs. 5 and 10.

l 'igure' ifl iilustrates the manner in which the tenderor sinailel boat is tied to the deck cie'at of the larger vessel.

in thedrawings ifl represents the stern end of -.a relatively large vessel which is provided *with-a pair of spaced-apart rearwardly extend ing cantilever arms 1 E; H, each of which is proat itsrear-erid Witha fo'rk i Within which is disposed"the' intermediate portion of one of the invo arms or tinesof a-b'eii-shaped lever that indicatedgenera-11yat M, (Figs 215 and 6), the upper -e1i'ds of said arms being connected by a composite.-'cross-"lo-ar i5 that is shown 'in"Eigs. 6 and 7.

ifEach-arm lii, l3,inciudes, asapart'thereof, a tubular metallicxse'ction i S' having a straight end portion :pivota'lly secured Within its forkifi by 'means'of a'pivot pin" "ITKFigS. 8 and 8(0' and into this 1 straightxend' portion 'isteiescopically fitted one end -of a stem it :that is provided at its outer-endvdth a-V-shaped yoke 58 (Figs. 1 to 6, inclusive). The oppositeendrcrtions of the tubular sections it are curved inwardly-toward :ea'ch other-and have-fitted telescopically/into the 'same thc oppdsite ends-of -apint1e 29 (Fig; 7) onwhich is-rotatably'mounted a sheave 22 dis- :posed between itheproximate ends of the sections It. One end ofzpintle?2t is :fastened-Within section t Giby"meansofataperpin 562 driven into registering apertures provided through sec" tion'and the-pintlepwhiieithe opposite end of the :pintleis 'fais'tened within its'section '56 by the shahk o'f a keepen 23' that is cooperatively associated with the sheave iii, said shank being driven'into-registering aperturesprovided in said section-and theqoiritle.

The 'erid portion'of eachstem' ifi'which is telescopieeliyffittedintoits section it is made with a iongitudin'ail series "of transverse apertures (Figsi 8= and 8d that= ere uniformly spaced apart a distance'i equa! :to' the-distance betwe n the :pin'. H and a 'p'in'tie' 24. *One or the otheref the apertures ??:is oc'cupiedby'the'piiri" and other' by theshort *piritle' 24 whose opposite occupy-apertures 'pro'videdin the section 5 'l heseries ofiapertures EB is provided so that whenn'pin i'l is removed ithe stem'd8" and :sec-

tion It may be adjusted relatively to shorten or lengthen the arm of the bail-shaped lever M of which they are parts, the pintle 23 remaining in place and holding said parts together while this adjustment is being made, or if necessary, being transferred to another aperture 23 to permit the desired adjustment being made.

The pivot pin I! is preferably so disposed relatively to the center of gravity of the lever structure that when the latter is free of control it is held by gravity in the vertical position shown in Figs. 1 and 6 where its movement toward that position is limited by the crotches of forks 82, as shown in Fig. 8a. Thus the bail-shaped lever M is pivotally supported by the forks 12 so that it can be swung back and forth between the vertical position shown in Fig. 1 and the horizontal position shown in Fig. 2.

As shown particularly in Fig. 6 each yoke l9 comprises a top cross-bar 25 to the middle of which is welded or otherwise fixed the outer end of the stem l8 and to the outer ends of cross-bar 25 are welded or otherwise fixed the upper ends of two side-bars 26 which extend longitudinally and convergently from said cross-bar 25 with their outer ends fitted against and welded or otherwise secured to the opposite ends of a rung 21. As shown in Figs. 1 and 6 these yokes are disposed at a predetermined distance above the water level W for a reason that will presently appear.

The tender or dinghy 28 provided for use with my new davit has rigidly fixed in position upon the top of its gunwale at one side thereof two outwardly facing hooks 29, 29, (Figs. 1, 2 and 5) which are spaced apart the same distance as are the yokes l9, l9, while a single outwardly facing hook 30 is fixed in position upon the top of the gunwale at the opposite side of the tender 28, said single hook being disposed about midway between the two hooks 29, 29, when viewing the tender horizontally from one side thereof.

The gunwale of the tender 28 is herein shown as provided upon its exterior and at the top with an outwardly extending flange or bead 3| (Fig, 1) and the same screws by which the single hook 30 is fastened to the top side of the gunwale serve also to fasten a, cleat 32 in position upon the exterior of the gunwale and against the bottom side of bead or flange 3| as shown in Figs. 1, 6b, 6c, 9 and 10.

The tender 28 is rolled from its position in the water (Fig. 1) and landed aboard the vessel l0 as shown in Fig. 2 through the manual operation of a cable 33 by an individual on board of said vessel. One end of this cable is made fast to an arm 34 (Figs. 1, 6, '7, 9 and 10) welded or otherwise fastened to the upper end of one of the sections I6 of the cross-bar of the bail-shaped lever l4 and from this arm the cable extends over the sheave 2| and thence aboard the vessel l0. Preparatory to the use of the cable 33 the tender 28 is placed in position opposite the stern of vessel ll! where it is disposed transversely relatively to the latter with the side thereof on which the pair of hooks 29 are mounted nearest said vessel as shown in Fig. 1. The portion of cable 33 between sheave 2| and arm 34 is then formed into a loop 33' which is engaged with the single hook 30 as shown in Fig. 1, whereupon the operator aboard vessel l0 pulls in upon the cable and thereby warps the tender into the position indicated by dotted lines at a (Fig. 1) where the pair of hooks 29 are opposite the upper larger ends of the yokes l9. Thereafter continued pull upon cable 33 tips the tender sidewise (Fig. 3) causing the gunwale that is against the yokes 19 to slide downwardly against the latter which swings the hooks 29 into the yokes whose converging sides direct the hooks onto the rungs 21 (Fig. 4). After engagement of the hooks 29 with the rungs of the yoke 5 continued pull upon the cable first swings the tender pivotally upwardly on said rungs into the position indicated by dotted lines at b in Fig. 1 after which the bail-shaped lever I4 is svmng pivotally on the pivot pins I'I (Figs. 1, 2 and 8) into the horizontal position shown in Fig. 2 carrying the tender with it,

As the tender 28 arrives in the position shown in Fig. 2 its single hook 30 (Figs. 1, 6a, 6b and 6c) enters a socket 35 forming part of a cleat 36 fixed in position upon the top of a stern deck 31 of the vessel ll] whereupon the cable 33 is wrapped back and forth around the two cleats 32 and 36 (Figs. 9 and 10) to secure both the tender and the bailshaped lever in the positions shown in Fig. 2. Thus secured in position the engagement of the hook 311 with the socket 35 serves to hold the pair of hooks 29 in engagement with the rungs 21 of the yokes l9 and the latter, together with the socket 35, serve to hold the tender against displacement transversely relatively to the vessel H].

In launching the tender 28 the cable 33 is dis engaged from the cleats 32 and 36 whereupon the lever I4 is shifted into the position shown in Fig. 1 with the tender 28 occupying the position shown at b. Slack being now given to cable 33 the tender will swing under the influence of gravity downwardly into the water as indicated by dotted lines at a so that when the loop 33' is disengaged from the single hook 329 the tender is free for use.

Among the advantages to the above described construction I would point out that all operations connected with either launching or landing the tender can be performed from the cockpit of the larger vessel without getting into the tender at all; during these operations only about twentyfive per cent of the weight of the tender or dinghy is imposed upon the operator; said operations can be carried out with ease and dispatch owing to the lightness of the effective weight of the tender or dinghy, and the dinghy or tender can enter the water in no other way than right-side-up so that it cannot fill or swamp and floats free, the hooks being floated out of the yokes.

What I claim is:

1. A davit apparatus for launching and landing a boat comprising a lever structure; means for pivotally supporting said lever structure intermediate its opposite ends upon a support at a point above the level of a body of water with provision for angular movement thereof on a horizontal axis to and from an upright position above said water alongside said support and to and from an approximately horizontal position where one end portion thereof overlies said support; means disposed adjaoent to the lower end of said lever structure when the latter occupies its upright position for pivotal interlocking engagement with one side of the boat; means under the control of an operator stationed upon said support engageable with the opposite side of the boat and operable to hold said first-mentioned side of the boat against and interlocked with said lower end while utilized to swing said boat upwardly on said interlocking means into position alongside said lever structure and to thereafter swing said lever structure and boat on said axis into approximately horizontal positions with the boat resting up-sidedown on said lever structure, and means for cooperating with said operator-controlled means to releasably secure said lever structure and boat to said support in said last-mentioned position.

2. A davit apparatus for launching and for landing a boat, said apparatus comprising a lever structure; means pivotally connecting said lever structure intermediate its opposite ends to a support to swing on an axis that is parallel with and above the level of a body of water, said lever structure being angularly adjustable on said axis to and from an upright position alongside said support and to and from an approximately horizontal position where one end portion thereof overlies said support; means on said lever structure that is disposed adjacent to the lower end thereof when said lever structure occupies its upright position for pivotal interlocking engagement with one side of the boat; means under the control of an operator stationed upon said support that is engageable with the opposite side of the boat and operable to hold said first-mentioned side of the boat against and pivotally interlocked with said lower end of said lever structure while it is operated to swing said boat upwardly on said means for pivotal interlocking engagement into position alongside said lever structure and to there after swing said lever structure and boat on said axis into approximately horizontal positions with the boat resting up-side-down on said lever struc- A.

ture, and means for co-operating with said operator-controlled means to releasabl secure said lever structure and boat to said support in said last-mentioned position.

3. A davit apparatus comprising a lever; means pivotally connecting said lever intermediate its opposite ends to a relatively large vessel to swing on an axis that is parallel with and above the level of the water supporting said vessel, said lever being angularly adjustable on said axis to and from an upright position alongside said vessel and to and from an approximately horizontal position; a pair of horizontally spaced-apart yokes carried by the end of said lever that is lowermost when said lever occupies its upright position; a tender for said vessel provided at one side thereof with a pair of horizontally spaced-apart elements to pivotally interlock with said yokes; a cable under the control of an operator stationed upon said vessel, said cable being engageable with the opposite side of said tender and operable to urge said first-mentioned side of the tender against said yokes and thereafter to roll the tender upwardly into position alongside said lever thereby pivotally interlocking said elements with said yokes and urging said lever toward its approximately horizontal position, and cleats on said tender and vessel with which said cable is engaged to separably fasten said lever in its approximately horizontal position with the tender fixedl but separably secured thereon in an upside-down position by said cable and the interlocked elements and yokes.

4. A davit apparatus according to claim 3 wherein each of said elements is an outwardly facing metal hook provided on the gunwale of the tender, and wherein each yoke is V-shaped and provided at its smaller end with a transverse rung to be engaged by one of said hooks.

5. A davit apparatus according to claim 3 wherein a sheave is rotatably mounted upon the end of said lever that is uppermost when said lever occupies its upright position, wherein said cable extends from said vessel over said sheave and is anchored at its one end to said uppermost end of 6 said lever, wherein a bracket is provided upon said opposite side of the tender, and wherein a loop formed in said cable between said anchora e and said sheave is separably engaged with bracket through which it is reeved when cable is operated.

6. A davit apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the cleat that is provided on the vessel is made with a socket that is occupied by said bracket when said lever occupies its approximately horizontal position thereby to secure said tender against lateral displacement.

7. A davit apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said lever is U-shaped, wherein each of said U-shaped lever is pivotally connected with said vessel and made in two telescopically associated sections that are adjustable relatively to vary the length of the arm, and means is provided for fixing said sections in their adjusted relationship.

8. A davit apparatus comprising a U-shaped lever having its intermediate portion disposed horizontally and equipped with a rotatable sheave; means pivotally connecting said lever intermediate its opposite ends to a relatively large vessel to swing on an axis that is parallel with and above the level of the water supporting said vessel, said means comprising a pair of cantilever arms fixed to said vessel each of which is pro vided at its outer end with a fork within which the intermediate portion of one of the arms of said lever is pivotally mounted with the crotch of at least one of said forks serving as a stop to limit the movement of the lever toward an upright position, said lever being angularly adjustable on said axis to and from said upright position alongside said vessel and to and from an approximately hor izontal position; a pair of horizontally spacedapart yokes carried by the end of said lever that is lowermost when said lever occupies its upright position; a tender for said vessel provided at one side thereof with a pair of horizontally spacedapart elements to pivotally interlock with said yokes; a cable fastened at its one end to the intermediate portion of said lever, said cable being under the control of an operator stationed upon said vessel and extending from said vessel over said sheave and being engageable with the opposite side of said tender and also operable to urge said first-mentioned side of the tender against said yokes and thereafter to roll the tender upwardly into position alongside of said lever thereby pivotally interlocking said elements with said yokes and swinging said lever into its approximately horizontal position, and cleats on said tender and vessel with which said cable is engaged to separably fasten said lever in its approximately horizontal position with the tender fixedly but separably secured thereon in an upside down position by said cable and the interlocked elements and yokes.

MORGAN L. WOODRUFF.

REFERENCES CITED The following referenices are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,315,895 Worth Sept. 9, 1919 2,091,327 McPartland i- Aug. 31, 1937 2,261,116 Hyland Nov. 4, 1941 2,294,864 Palmer i Sept. 1, 1942 

